Council of Chalcedon

The Council of Chalcedon (/kælˈsiːdən, ˈkælsɪdɒn/; Latin: Concilium Chalcedonense)[lower-alpha 1] was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 October to 1 November 451 AD.[3] The council was attended by over 520 bishops or their representatives, making it the largest and best-documented of the first seven ecumenical councils.[3] The principal purpose of the council was to re-assert the teachings of the ecumenical Council of Ephesus against the heresies of Eutyches and Nestorius.[4] Such heresies attempted to dismantle and separate Christ's divine nature from his humanity (Nestorianism) and further, to limit Christ as solely divine in nature (Monophysitism).[5]

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Council of Chalcedon
Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, 1876 painting by Vasily Surikov
Date	451
Accepted by	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Church of the East[1][2] Old Catholic Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism Calvinism
Previous council	Council of Ephesus
Next council	Second Council of Constantinople
Convoked by	Emperor Marcian of the Eastern Roman Empire
President	Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople; A board of government officials and senators, led by the patrician Anatolius
Attendance	Approx. 520
Topics	The judgements issued at the Second Council of Ephesus in 449, the alleged offences of Bishop Dioscorus of Alexandria, the definition of the Godhead and manhood of Christ, many disputes involving particular bishops and sees
Documents and statements	Chalcedonian Creed, 28 canons
Chronological list of ecumenical councils